MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives approved legislation on Thursday that would create a so-called accountability council to heighten accountability and improve outcomes across the state's public schools.
The legislation came late in the session, after State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) previously faced pushback against legislation aimed at improving Alabama schools' A-through-F report cards, which did not clear committee.
Collins' House Bill 604 (HB604) cleared the House on Thursday and will now go to the Senate for committee deliberation before receiving a final vote. With three days remaining in the 2026 legislative session, leadership will need to prioritize the bill to secure final passage.
HB 604 would require the Alabama Workforce Board, with support from the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, to establish a system to measure student performance data associated with completion of college and career readiness indicators.
The council will consist of five members appointed by the governor, along with the chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee, the chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, the chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee and the chair of the House Education Policy Committee.
It will also comprise one member appointed by the Alabama Education Association (AEA), the Secretary of Workforce, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the state superintendent of education and sundry other associations and groups.
"Many of you may have heard about my goal to kind of strengthen and improve our letter grade, and that's not what this bill does," Collins told the House body.
She continued, "This sets up an accountability council that works with the workforce and works with higher education to make sure we're preparing our students."
The bill faced slight pushback from some House Democrats but received support from House Republicans on the floor.
"Having served on the school board, I know that what you have in this bill is already in existence," said State Rep. Mary Moore (D-Birmingham).
She continued, "I will caution you, and Mr. Speaker (Nathaniel Ledbetter), that when we get these education bills, all of our school districts know about them, all o four school districts have a role in it, because that's not the truth, Mrs. Collins, and you know it."
"It is true," Collins interjected.
"You will go talk to your one or two school superintendents that you know, but the rest of the state is left out," Moore continued.
After the bill was substituted to allow for further appointments, the legislation passed by a vote of 93-1 with six abstentions. Moore was the only "no" vote.
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